Texas Longhorns: George Whitfield Jr.

When Vince Young was released by the Buffalo Bills in August, he received a surprise from Texas coach Mack Brown.

Brown sent him a DVD of Texas’ 2006 Rose Bowl national title game victory over USC. Odd thing to send Young after he’d just lost his job, right? Brown hoped Young got the message.

Outside The Lines

It has been seven years since Vince Young led the University of Texas to a national title. Other NFL quarterbacks his age are in the prime of their careers but, at the age of 29, Young has been released by three NFL teams and is now out of football. Amidst reports that he is broke, Young has now filed a lawsuit against his former agent for defrauding him of more than $5 million.

On Sunday on "Outside The Lines," Shelley Smith talks with Young about his finances, his relationship with his former coach, Jeff Fisher, and his thoughts on why he feels he deserves another chance in the NFL.

“I wanted to see how good he’d played and how good he was. I wanted him to remember that,” Brown said. “When he was here and he was struggling, we showed him high school video. We showed some clips of plays that he’d made as a freshman, and he didn’t lose another game.

“He’s a guy that just needs somebody to buy into him and trust him. He is that good.”

Of all the folks who are still in Young’s corner, few are more vocal than Brown. The Texas coach has kept in close contact with his former star quarterback ever since Young left Austin in 2006.

He’s remained a constant presence through the ups and the downs. In an exclusive interview with HornsNation, Brown shared his thoughts on Young’s work toward an NFL comeback and what he believes the Longhorns legend can still achieve: a Super Bowl victory and a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

HornsNation: You brought Vince Young back to campus in October as an honorary captain for Texas’ game against West Virginia. What did you learn from that reunion?

Mack Brown: He’s really upbeat. I think he’s at a great place. He’s got some of the personal issues behind him with the financial situation and he’s really excited about getting back with a team and playing. It had to be very distracting when all of that stuff was popping up around him.

I feel like he’s at a great place. He’s working out every day and he’s just sitting there waiting on a call. He says, ‘I don’t care if I’m a starter, I don’t care if I’m a second-teamer, I just want to help a team win.’ I really believe that. I think he was in as good a place as I’ve ever seen him while he was here.